


Reunion

by SetoAngel01



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cloud is mostly comatose in this, F/M, Flashbacks to OG timeline, Fluff, Give these babies the happy ending they deserve, Happy Ending, Hojo Experiments, PTSD, References to Torture, Romance, They're still desperately in love, Violence, Zack Fair Lives, but he gets a few lines later, the fluff may cause cavities
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:55:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24462367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SetoAngel01/pseuds/SetoAngel01
Summary: AU Where Zack and Aerith get the reunion that they both desperately deserved.
Relationships: Zack Fair/Aerith Gainsborough
Comments: 13
Kudos: 90





	1. The Waiting

**Author's Note:**

> Wow. These two are really giving me some crazy inspiration lately. XD
> 
> That FF7 Remake, y'all, I'm still shook over the possibilities that entails and while I'm still not crazy hopeful something like this story will happen but one can dream right? I'm mainly writing this to give these beautiful babies the reunion they never got to have. In regard to FF7R, as long as Zack is alive and gets to be with Aerith in just one timeline, I'll be happy. I'm still holding out hope that Zack has a bigger part in the next chapter of the remake - PLEASE at the very least make him a playable character. T_T My life will be complete!
> 
> Also, this is Zack lives timeline events - so the Aerith he passed on his way to Midgar in the final cutscene was a different one - this is his Aerith. Hope that makes sense because it still doesn't to me. XD Hope you enjoy regardless.

Zachary Fair had been gone for five years.

_**Five** _ _years._

Technically five years, two months and eleven days since she last saw him and the one phone call that got through hardly counted; it was a barely ten seconds filled with harsh static and Zack (sounding even more distracted than usual) telling her that it wasn't a good time to talk but he promised he'd visit her soon.

That was five years ago and Aerith was still waiting for him to fulfill that promise.

Without Zack, life felt gray, bleak; a lonely, stilted existence without his boisterous presence and exuberant smile… But it wasn't always like that.

The first few days, weeks, and even months after he departed, she was her normal cheerful self. Going about her day with a spring in her step, pushing her flower wagon to sell her wares, and giving everyone she passed a sweet smile that faded as the days went on. Yet for the longest time, she kept her demeanor hopeful even with the anxious fluttering in her chest while she waited for Zack's return.

That happiness and hope only lasted a year but even then, Zack's static silence was not horribly alarming yet because he said he'd be in an area with less than stellar reception and the year-long deployment wasn't guaranteed and could take longer.

_So, she waited…_

Time passed and her hope was slowly dwindling day by day than year by year but she still refused to lose it. Zack had _promised_ after all and he'd never broken one yet!

So, Aerith did her best to stay positive (Zack was a complete optimist after all so why couldn't she be?). She'd valiantly keep her mind occupied by tending to her flowers, selling them, helping the people of the slums with the extra income that wasn't going toward her mother's bills or more stationary for the letters she wrote. Yet her fragile deck of cards was about to fall. It came in the form of the splintering sound of wood as the last of the three flower wagons Zack had made her shattered; broken into tiny pieces. Much like his promise to come back to her, it seemed.

All of her 23 tiny wishes ('I just want to spend more time with you') and all 89 letters she sent to him…but nothing came back…

Five long years and no call, no letters and no Zack (not the 19 year old one she remembered - he'd now be 24 - imagine that!) coming through her church doors, sweeping her into his muscular arms with a heartfelt apology from his lips and a promise that he'd never, _ever_ leave her again. Aerith knew she'd cry upon seeing him even if she wasn't one to easily show tears, but she would for him. Then he would wipe them off her face with those oh so warm calloused hands, comfort her, hold her and tell her all kinds of believable excuses of why he was gone so long. Afterwards, things would happily go back to where they'd left off five years prior.

Aerith would demand penance for his absence, telling him to repair the flower carts that broke during his time away and he'd rub the back of his head and look admonished but smile crookedly and do it anyway. Zack would start working and while she'd fight a smile, one would pull at the corners of her lips at the absolute joy of simply seeing the familiar movement of his hands and merely bask in his magnetic presence - _she'd missed him_ _ **so**_ _damn_ _much_.

Later, while Zack is distracted by helping her transplant flowers, elbow deep in rich soil, she'd steal the opportunity to kiss the corner of his plush mouth (for what girl could help herself?). Zack would glance back at her with those glorious bright eyes, his tanned cheeks dusted with a coral tinge and she'd feel so wonderful that _she_ was finally the one to make him blush this time. Then he'd smile so beautifully before leaning in to kiss her with such passion that never failed to take her breath away…

_It seemed that all she had were daydreams anymore…_

It got to the point that she would stare listlessly at the worn church doors in an almost daze for hours on end, emerald eyes blurring and head spinning in grief, that she would swear she'd watched Zack open and walk through those doors with his casual swagger and glittering smile.

Aerith would run to him, only for the Zack that looked so beautiful and and wonderful and solid and warm and _right_ _ **there,**_ abruptly dissipate into dust before she could even reach him.

She'd collapse to her knees and sob until her stomach ached.

Hurt with the gnawing fear that she'd never again see the way the light caught his eyes and they sparkled like the most beautiful blue gems. How his lips would pull back and he'd showcase all of those pearly white teeth. How no matter what she was dealing with, Zack could always make her laugh even if was mostly at his expense. When in the circle of his arms, she felt as if nothing at all could go wrong simply because he was there…

And after all these years, she was starting to forget all of it.

Aerith didn't even remember the exact lilt of his voice - these memories she'd tried to hold on to just slowly and subconsciously dissipated from her mind like soil through the gaps in her fingers and it **hurt**. For if he never came back, she didn't even have anything to remember him by other than the broken flower carts, that silk dress he'd bought for her that didn't fit anymore (her mother called her a late bloomer), and the faded pink ribbon she religiously tied in her hair.

If it wasn't for these physical items, Aerith could almost believe he never even existed.

Zack always seemed a little _too_ perfect; too handsome, too strong, too charismatic and too kind to be anything but a wishful figment of her imagination to push down the unbearable loneliness of her teenage years. How it seemed silly that a man so beautiful, magnetic and worldly could want anything to do with a lonely, quiet flower girl from the slums - much less be her boyfriend! Heck, he even fell through her ceiling and lived when that shouldn't be possible!

But after so many conversations with her mother, the people of the slums that Zack protected from monsters, and the orphaned children he'd enjoy helping whenever he could, still asked about him from time to time even after his five year absence. Their grief wasn't as deep as her own but Aerith took comfort in the fact that she wasn't alone in missing the SOLDIER who managed to positively affect so many lives without even knowing it.

Zack was real; he existed…but then _where **was** he?_

Aerith hated to think this way, but she wondered if perhaps he fell in love with someone else.

If Zack had gone and met some beautiful, wonderful woman (that was everything Aerith would never be) during his travels - she could live with that. As much as her heart cracked open at the thought of Zack completely forgetting about her and their two years together, that would be okay. If he just tossed her aside to instead marry someone that wasn't her and having kids that wouldn't have some of her features, Aerith accepted that.

Regardless of how his feelings for her changed, Aerith still loved him unconditionally and wanted the best for him…

It was far better than the alternative.

… _because if Zack was dead…_

Aerith forcefully shook her head of those horrid thoughts.

**NO!**

She _refused_ to think about it - wouldn't go there today - her sleepless nights were already plagued with visions of him laying on a muddy cliff saturated with crimson, rain cascading over his bloodied face and broken, bullet-riddled chest. This once vibrant and energetic man lying so still on the ground and staring at the rainy clouds above him with eyes that held no life left. Even in nightmares; having to see those beautiful eyes that she loved so much, could gaze into happily for the rest of eternity, being completely devoid of life completely shattered her.

The mere suggestion that Aerith would ever have to live in a world where Zack simply didn't exist anymore - how this wonderful man who was so kind, filled with so much love and life, just snuffed out completely - it was too much for her heart to handle. So many of those nights, she'd woken up crying and screaming and have to wake up to the reality that Zack was still gone only made it that much worse.

Forcefully pushing those horrible thoughts aside, Aerith brushed her fingers off from the new batch of soil she tilled onto her soiled apron.

The flowers were expanding, her business of selling them growing day by day - all thanks to Zack - was steadily increasing. Instead of mere white and yellow, she had an abundance of vibrant colors and breeds filling the floor of the church. She was still amazed how it went from selling a single flower for a gil in her carts to doing business with local establishments regularly and she was happy to report that her mother didn't have to worry about having enough to pay the bills anymore.

Life was…comfortable and Midgar was slowly but surely filling out with flowers.

Aerith just desperately wished Zack was here to see it - selling them was his idea after all. She'd told him as much in her last letter…the one she claimed it would be the final one she'd ever send to him…

Clenching her fists against her lap, Aerith's mouth twisted and her vision blurred with tears.

_Five years._

Five years in this never-ending limbo and it felt as if she was merely going through the motions of life anymore. Aerith knew realistically she couldn't wait forever for Zack… Aerith knew deep down to the marrow of her bones - her very soul - that she would never completely let go of him, never forget him or even get over him as her first (and so desperately wanted him to be her only) love. She wanted to know why he wasn't _here_ , where he could be - just to know where and how he was - as much as it pained her, even to know for certain if he was de…

A single tear slipped down her cheek.

Perhaps it was time to close the chapter in this part of her life. To let Zack go like her mother told her for years now but Aerith continually refused even as hopeless as the situation became. Maybe she only wanted to know what happened to him to appease her mental sanity; finally grieve for the life she desperately wanted to share with him. And a deep sense of despair for the family that she'd never get to make with him…

To ultimately and finally grieve _**him**_ …

In a perfect world, Zack would appear as if nothing happened, but as the planet continued to turn, it was becoming less of an option and she had at the very least, accept that.

For now, Aerith just wanted **closure** _…whatever that meant._

Sighing, Aerith quickly wiped her forearm across her face, ignoring the trails of wet tears that greeted her. Instead, she turned back to her flowers, the only bright spot in her life anymore and continued mindlessly tilling the soil.

It was the sudden sound of heavy boots and the creaking wood outside of her church door that had Aerith tense up.

Immediately, she reached for the staff she had lying near her watering can before quickly standing up as silently as possible. While Aerith was more innocent than most slum girls, she was no stranger to drunkards and monsters finding their way inside her safe haven. Aerith had learned to fight out of necessity and the fact her SOLDIER hadn't been here for years and she couldn't rely on him to protect her anymore…maybe never again. If something attacked, she was on her own and she'd learned to handle herself well enough.

Pushing any distracting thoughts aside, Aerith waited and readied her Materia. She urgently watched the doors with a determined tilt to her brows and fists tightening over the metal in her palms. Heart hammering in question of who would bother her at this late hour or if it was just some drunk individual wanting refuge for the night.

Either way, she was about to find out.

The door loudly creaked open and the streetlight outside showcased two hunched figures at the doorway. Aerith readied her staff and prepared for them to make a move to attack, but before her Materia could be summoned, one of the figures (who seemed to be holding up the other) lifted their head.

The sudden flash of bright Mako blue eyes under stark black hair and a face she could _never_ forget had absolutely everything in her world (probably her heart as well) completely stop.

Metal staff fell from shaking hands to the floor with a noisy clang as her legs buckled underneath her.


	2. The Journey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zack (and Cloud's) journey back to Aerith after the change of fate fight in the Midgar Wastes...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The writing in this chapter is going to be a bit different than the last. I feel as if Zack's inner monologue is more prone to "survival, Cloud, Aerith, survival, Cloud, Aerith, survival" like a mantra. I see Zack as more of the type of guy who rambles his thoughts out as they come especially with Cloud being comatose so be prepared for a lot of dialogue that may seem inappropriate given the situation. Zack and Cloud escaped literally four years of brutal torture by a mad scientist and have been on the run for a year and Zack has been alone and having to carry and care for his comatose friend. Zack still keeps his upbeat attitude and continually talks to Cloud even if he doesn't get a response but his happy-go-lucky attitude is occasionally wavering thin so be prepared. Hey, Zack just survived by taking out an army - guy deserves a break. XD
> 
> His character is also vastly different from Aerith's more introspective personality. While she had nothing but time to wait for Zack and thought about him almost constantly, he'd been doing nothing but trying to survive. While he loves Aerith like crazy and wants nothing more than to get back to her, the thoughts he has of her are more on the back-burner as he tries to get him and Cloud to safety. He's simply more focused on surviving but there are some sprinkled moments where he thinks of her throughout.
> 
> There is also a lot of cussing (in my personal headcanon, Zack has quite the filthy mouth but not in front of Aerith because he would feel bad lol), brutal violence and references to obscene torture so just warning you before you read!

* * *

_Zack Fair had no fucking_ _**clue** _ _how he was still alive._

There were literally _thousands_ of Shin-Ra troopers ready and willing to end his life and Zack, doing the only thing he could to protect Cloud, fought them all until he was miraculously the last one standing. The ex-SOLDIER First-Class running on absolutely nothing but pure rage and adrenaline that was quickly depleting; if there had only been a few more troopers with decent aim, Zack doubted he'd still be breathing right now, let alone standing.

Heart hammering with leftover adrenaline, head throbbing, arms and hands shaking from where they'd held the Buster Sword in a white-knuckled grip (it was the only thing still keeping him vertical), Zack stood in shock while staring at the wasteland filled with bodies.

_"Wait…was that all of them?"_

One thing was for damn sure, Zack had _never_ remembered being more exhausted in his entire life.

Living on the run while dragging around a comatose man for - hell, was it already over a year now? Caring for all of Cloud's many needs, the constant movement, lousy diet of whatever the fuck he could forage, catch and cook (burn) with a Fire Materia, bathing in treacherous icy rivers, no actual decent sleep when Shin-Ra is breathing down your neck and using everything in their disposal to try and catch your ass, and not to mention that sick fuck Hojo's twisted experiments and pickling in a tank of Mako for four years didn't help anyone either. Especially poor Cloud who was still suffering from Mako addiction, withdrawal and still stuck in a damn comatose-like state…

 _But this fight_ …

Zack was **certain,** as he ruffled Cloud's hair one last time before walking away, that this would be his last stand.

His final sacrifice in this damned world and it was _all_ to protect Cloud.

Even if he had died, it would have been worth it. If he'd only saved Cloud, that was more heroic than anything he'd done in his entire life. He would have accepted death and gone to the Lifestream with a smile on his face as long as his buddy was safe ('we're friends, right?'). And if Cloud had run into Aerith later on to tell her "hi" for him, that would be good too...

Yet somehow, Zack was here still standing and drawing breath (albeit it, not very well which was probably quite worrying but Zack was trying not to think about that right now) considering he should have been nothing more than a bullet-ridden corpse.

_How?_

**Why?**

He couldn't tell you.

After he noticed that all of the seemingly endless troops were nothing more than bloodied bodies dotting the landscape and he was dragging his half-dead ass over to Cloud to make sure his buddy was okay, he was suddenly thrown to the ground.

So certain it was the final troopers or some goons in a helicopter coming to finish him off, Zack lifted his head. If he was to die, he'd go down facing his murderers but instead of more barrels of guns, he saw the strange clouds over Midgar disappear with a thundering boom and a flash of light. Upon realizing that he _wasn't_ going to die, he somehow drug himself back to his feet and was even able to put the Buster Sword away. Face toward the sky, he watched the blinding light clear and what looked like flickering stars surrounding Midgar before disappearing into the bright blue above.

_...The fuck was **that**?_

Something had happened - what it was, he didn't know and really didn't care to find out until him and Cloud were safe under Midgar's steel-plated sky.

Regroup.

What Zack needed to do immediately was grab Cloud and _leave_.

Even if he'd managed to annihilate a fair bit of Shin-Ra's army, they definitely wouldn't give up that easily and Zack had gone _too_ damn far to quit now. Shaking arms, wobbling knees, sore aching - well, fucking **everything -** and a headache that had him seeing spots in the edges of his vision was sure as hell not enough to keep him from stopping now.

 _Oh_.

And Aerith.

Zack _needed_ to get to Aerith if it was the last damn thing he ever did and almost dying didn't change that. With that destination in mind, the ex-SOLDIER continued towards where he'd stashed Cloud before he'd confronted the troopers.

"Hey Cloud, you see that?" Zack chuckled a bit breathlessly as he turned the corner to where the blonde was safely nestled in the cliff's dusty crevice. "That was pretty damn cool, right? Fuck yeah. I still got it."

Cloud of course didn't reply other than the slightest grunt as Zack heaved Cloud up to his feet - right before falling straight back onto his ass.

 **Ow!** _Fucking hell!_

"Oops. Sorry Spike... Alright, let's try that again." Zack took a deep breath through his nose and out his mouth before he _finally_ got Cloud and himself back to his feet.

A few more false starts trying to walk in a coordinated pattern later, Zack finally recovered some of his breath. As much as he despised the Mako in his body ( _SOLDIER is nothing but a den of monsters_ ) and Hojo (damn that fucker to the deepest, darkest pits of hell after he has the most painful, prolonged death imaginable, preferably at his own hands), at least his recovery time was much better than it ever was even as a First-Class SOLDIER.

Before long, Zack had gotten Cloud's arm over his shoulders while steadily making it through the last leg of their journey toward Midgar, the outline of the city getting closer and closer by the minute. As they neared the city with the steel sky, the sun disappeared behind the clouds.

It started to rain and Zack smiled.

Sure, the ground may now be slippery as fuck but with the soothing, cooling droplets steadily washing away the death, blood and sweat that clung to him for too damn long, he couldn't find it in him to care.

" _Almost there, Cloud. We're almost there..."_

* * *

After hours of nonstop walking, they sneaked into the city when the sun was nearly kissing the horizon line.

Zack never imagined it was possible, but seeing the broken down slums and filthy streets was a fucking damned beautiful sight for sore eyes.

"Wow. Who'da thunk I'd actually _miss_ this hellhole? Damn, it's good to be back." Zack chuckled at Cloud's sudden grunt as they walked steadily through Sector 8 - only 3 more sectors to go til Aerith - when a voice rang out from behind them.

" **Hey**! You there! SOLDIER!"

Zack froze and turned to glance over his shoulder.

The sight of a familiar uniform, a single guard - an infantry man approaching - had Zack react instantly. The ex-SOLDIER First-Class was running on nothing but pure protective instinct as the man stopped a mere foot away and abruptly reached for Cloud's limp form and the world was silent other than the blood rushing in his ears.

"Whoa...Is he okay?" was the question that went unheard by the raven-haired SOLDIER.

Zack didn't even think.

Just struck with brutal precision.

No mercy - they weren't shown any - so why should he?

Mako-enhanced muscles reacted instantaneously, pulling the Buster Sword off his back and plunging the blade straight through the man's entire chest cavity and out of his back in the blink of an eye. The sound of fabric, flesh, organs and bone ripping apart around the massive sword was drowned out by the pounding of his pulse thumping in his ears and his desperate need to **_protect Cloud at_ any _cost_**.

...But then reality hit.

Zack's eye twitched, adrenaline faded immediately and he was suddenly frozen as he watched the man standing on his own for only a split second once the sword was removed. There wasn't even a grunt or cry exiting his bloody lips before the only-moments-before-living-breathing-man was nothing more than a crumpled corpse lying in a pool of his own blood, viscera and organs spilling onto the dirty street. He didn't mean to disembowel him…

"...O-Oh, _fuck_ …no, I-I didn't…I…" Zack whispered when he realized what he'd done and his veins filled with ice.

_What had he_ _**DONE** _ **_?_ **

_If they were discovered and re-captured because of his recklessness…_

No…

" **FUCK!** " he growled before using his Materia to cremate the man's body before flinging the limp Cloud and the Buster Sword over his back and ran like the fires of hell were licking at his heels and tears he wasn't even aware he was crying trickled like rain down his face.

' _I'm so sorry…'_

* * *

Zack kept running and running and running until he collapsed in an alleyway in Sector 6. _So close to Aerith…_ but what Zack had just done had ice pooling in his stomach and he was sprawled on his hands and knees completely paralyzed with nausea and anxiety.

For what reason, he really didn't know.

Zack had been killing since he entered SOLDIER at the ripe age of 15 - it was kill or be killed and while Zack didn't enjoy ending lives whatsoever, it was sometimes necessary (if killing could ever be justified).

Hell, Zack had _literally_ killed thousands mere hours ago.

Blood spilled and bodies cooling before grotesquely bloating underneath the unrelenting sun in the Midgar wastes and he barely blinked an eye as he fled the violent scene with Cloud. Among those bodies may have been friends at some point, colleagues, and someone he shared lunch with in the cafeteria could have been among the troopers he'd just ruthlessly slaughtered. So fucking many parents, wives, sons and daughters getting the news their loved one wasn't coming home all because of him…

Zack knew they would have killed him too given the chance but self-defense seemed a shaky alibi. It didn't sit right at all so he had to keep reminding himself that he did it for _Cloud_ \- because he'd rather kill a thousand more than **ever** allow that insane Hojo to get his grimy hands on his best friend again.

Turning away from Cloud's murky eyes that had been staring at him (...was that concern?), Zack crawled away from the blonde, hunched over behind a pile of trash and _retched_. The burn of bile coating his tongue and throat on the way out (he couldn't even remember the last truly edible meal he'd had) until he was left gasping for air and spatting any remnant stomach acid onto the concrete below.

Heart hammering painfully and tears burning his eyes, Zack suddenly stood to unsteady legs and began frantically pacing in the alley.

The abrupt ache in his heaving chest as he was forcefully reminded of Cloud's unrelenting screams and heartbreaking cries in that damn lab as Zack was strapped down to a cold gurney and could do fucking _nothing_ to help him. All his First-Class SOLDIER enhancements and strength meant absolutely fucking **nothing** as he was forced to witness Cloud's unbearable torture. Zack mindlessly grabbed at his wrists where the leather and metal burned, blistered and electrified his skin as he tried over and over and _over_ to escape - to get Cloud **OUT** \- there may not even be scars left behind on his wrists but Zack could still feel everything done to him.

Hojo gleefully torturing both of them day after day, month after month and year after fucking year... They were both dissected - autopsied like soulless bodies - except they were both alive and conscious without a dose of anesthesia during it. Zack brutally shuddered; the sensations of that sick fuck Hojo's bare hands moving around, digging, touching, prodding his trembling and pulsating organs as he laid there with his chest splayed open still had his entire body shake with nearly unbearable tremors. All the injections, the mind-numbing pain, but _nothing_ compared to the helplessness he felt the entire time as Cloud deteriorated.

Specimen C and Specimen Z.

No real names - they weren't even _human_ to Hojo and his team of demented fucks. Him and Cloud were mere playthings to a madman all under the guise of twisted science, and Shin-Ra fucking **funded** it. So seeing all those troopers spread over the hills, knowing _damn_ well, if given the chance, were going to take him and Cloud back to that lab…

Zack had _no_ choice.

So he killed and killed and _killed_ ("Come and get it!") under the flimsy guise of honor and dreams…heh. Director Lazard was right - becoming a hero truly was unobtainable…

And now he just murdered a uniformed man in cold blood who may have only been trying to see if Cloud was okay…how many more would die by his hands before Shin-Ra just left them the fuck **alone**?

… _Maybe he was_ _a_ _ **monster**_ _…_

"...Z... Z-Z-Z _ack_ …" Cloud's barely audible voice broke through the agony gripping his heart.

_Cloud._

Oh fuck, **Cloud**!

Zack immediately ran over to where he'd left the blonde slumped over near a filthy trash can.

"I-I'm here, Spike. I'm here," Zack soothed, running his gloved fingers through Cloud's Chocobo looking tufts and he flinched at the few knots he found there.

Zack started to sob when Cloud leaned into his touch. He quickly ripped his gloves off of him - clean from rainwater but he still saw all the fresh and dried blood staining them regardless. He took a calming breath and wiped his face on his forearm before he ran his now bare fingers gently, always gently, through Cloud's hair - one of the few things in life that comforted him.

"Fuckin' hell, buddy, you need a bath - and yes, don't give me that look! I got a nose too! I _know_ I stink!" Zack chuckled brokenly, he smiled but it fell flat as Cloud didn't reply…per usual. But hearing his name in Cloud's soft voice was such a relief after nothing but his own voice and the demonic cackles of Dr. Hojo in his head for so damn long.

It was **hope** in its purest form and _that's_ what Zack needed now.

Cloud needed him and fuck his own existential crisis, Cloud came first!

…And Aerith of course but that would have to wait til they at least got some new threads…and a bath.

_Definitely a bath._

Shaking his head of the lingering thoughts and nightmares that would haunt him to his grave, Zack pulled himself and Cloud to his feet and kept moving forward.

* * *

Zack wasn't proud of it, but stealing clothes off a clothesline was the least of his sins in the past 24 hours.

They had plenty of gil but after he killed that guard (which he refused to think about too hard), Zack was weary of going anywhere where more people were around in the fear of being recognized and reported. He jacked some clothes that were relatively his and Cloud's size off a wire and was sure to leave plenty of gil attached with the remaining clothespin before disappearing back into the shadows.

Realistically, Zack knew to remain unseen, he should ditch his Buster Sword along with his First-Class SOLDIER uniform, but regardless of instincts telling him otherwise, Zack **refused** to let go of it. It was all he had left of his mentor, Angeal and he would keep it with him til he could pass it on to someone else or he died first.

Either way, he was _never_ going to leave it behind.

After he gave himself a quick wash from a clean-ish rain barrel he'd found behind some (closed for the night) commercial businesses, he dressed in more formfitting black jeans than he was used to and a v-neck gray sweater but beggars couldn't be choosers. For the final touch, he ripped the pauldrons off his SOLDIER belt and suspenders before putting the leather straps back on over his newly acquired top and put the Buster Sword back in its rightful place.

Himself situated, Zack washed Cloud down mechanically with a damp extra shirt before dressing him. The blue jeans were a bit too big for his thin hips but one of Zack's two belts did the trick. The shirt was a button-up that annoyed him to no end but once he was fully dressed and back in his old boots, Zack sat back on his heels and smiled at his blonde friend. Cloud looked at him, a small bit of lucid-ness in those bright blue eyes was very promising.

"Looking good there, Cloudy, even if you are getting a little too skinny!" Zack said brightly as he pulled the blonde to his feet, "Ya know, you're gonna **love** Aerith, she is one of the best cooks I know! So don't worry, buddy, a few weeks of her food and you'll be back to a healthy weight in no time! Heh. _Ooh!_ By the way, did I tell you how I met her?" Zack didn't even wait for any semblance of a response (not that there'd be any) before happily relayed the story as they continued walking.

Zack had already talked Cloud's ears clean off about Aerith and told this particular story over a dozen times by now, but talking about her made her more real and for now, that's what he needed.

_Five years._

It'd been five years since he seen her - three years longer than they'd even known each other. And to know that the whole time he'd been gone - she'd waited for him…well, up until her last…and final letter.

_'What do you mean, **final**!?'_

"Please wait for me just a _little_ longer, Aerith…" he whispered under his breath as they finally made it into Sector 5.

* * *

There was the church.

Zack painfully swallowed back the sudden lump that clogged his throat.

_It was_ _**exactly** _ _as he remembered._

Perhaps a bit more worn in the passage of time (five whole damn years…), but the same nonetheless.

The atmosphere of warmth, safety, home, and _Aerith_ still lingered like the intoxicating scent of the flowers she grew and it was like experiencing that first bit of sunshine on his face after being trapped in Hojo's lab for over four years all over again.

It was just the boost he needed to walk the last block.

As he got closer to the building, a part of him questioned if she would even be here at this late hour. Not to mention if she even _wanted_ to see him after all this time had passed without a single word…no letter, no phone call, and no visit like he'd promised over five years ago. As doubtful as he was that she would still be waiting for him, _something_ kept pulling him toward her church, up the steps and in front of those massive double doors.

Zack kept Aerith waiting long enough, he wouldn't do it anymore.

Even if she wanted nothing to do with him and had moved on with someone new, he'd respect her wishes. It would utterly shatter whatever was left of his heart inside his chest considering all he had done and went through to come back to her but he loved her (and always would) and would want whatever made her happy even if it meant to continue to have him out of her life…

Besides, Zack wouldn't blame her.

He wasn't the same man that left her - couldn't even pretend to be the same happy-go-lucky teenager with stars in his eyes wanting nothing more than to be a hero.

For who was he _now_?

A monster wanting the undeserved love of an angel?

Why would she even want him anymore?

Disheartened, Zack felt his throat tighten and almost pulled away from the door and ran the other way…but he **had** to see her… even if it was only one more time, perhaps just long enough to say goodbye...

Taking another few deep breaths to prepare himself mentally, Zack made sure Cloud was secure with one arm before reaching for the handle.

"Welp. Here goes nothing… Wish me luck, Cloud," he muttered under his breath before he grabbed the metal handle and pushed open the doors. Damn, the doors even had the same loud creaking noise, he remembered with a smile, before he slowly inched his way inside. Cloud's sudden stumble over a plank of wood had Zack turning his attention to the blonde for only a moment until he steadied himself - but then he turned toward where her flower garden had been and Zack finally lifted his head.

**_And…_ ** _**there she was…** _

Everything in his entire world stopped upon seeing her standing there and it was as if those five years trapped between them dissipated into dust... Zack's chest felt so damn _tight_ (probably from forgetting to breathe) as he furiously took in every single feature he'd missed so damn much - and…

_Wow..._

Aerith was more beautiful than he remembered.

Doe-like emerald eyes, auburn ringlets framing her gorgeous face and the softest lips he'd ever kissed...even all those years ago, she had already been the most gorgeous woman he ever met, but now… Heh. She definitely wasn't the 18 year old teenage girl he'd foolishly left but a 23 year old _woman_ now and he'd never felt more love for anyone in his entire life than at this very moment. More than her physical beauty, it was her passion, kindness, compassion, and genuine love she had for those she cared about - and he hoped with every fiber in his being that she would forgive him... All the intense feelings he'd had for her that he had to bury and treasure to keep him sane these past five years of hell came flooding back like a damn typhoon pooling through his entire body.

He wasn't even sure how he was still standing.

Zack just prayed he wasn't too late but his tongue refused to budge to even mutter so much as her name as he watched her eyes widen upon finally recognizing him. His heart _throbbed_ in anticipation and anxiety of what she would say or do - but it only lasted a split second before he was forced to watch her drop her - wait, was that a staff infused with Materia?

...Aerith had a _weapon?_

But before he could follow that train of thought, Zack let out a strangled gasp when he realized that being occupied with Cloud, he couldn't catch Aerith as she suddenly crumbled to her knees.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for being such a damn tease but now it correlates. XD These cliffhangers are horrible but the reunion is the next and final chapter! Stay tuned!


	3. The Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zack and Aerith finally get the reunion that they both desperately deserve.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, here we are. The final chapter.
> 
> I may or may not have started crying (…I did) at some parts while writing this because damn, Crisis Core canon ending hurts like a fucking bitch but it was so therapeutic to write out a scenario where Zack and Aerith get to see each other again.
> 
> Hopefully we have even a single shred of hope given the remake so my fingers are crossed tightly for FF7R Part 2! T_T We need Zack and Aerith to reunite in canon that isn't in the damn lifestream! Please, Square Enix! These beautiful, precious babies deserve to be together and happy!
> 
> Also Zack and Cloud's bromance is life.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

* * *

Aerith fell to her knees and Zack wanted nothing more than to run to her, but of course, Cloud picked a fucking wonderful time to stop supporting his own weight (as little as he could) and sent Zack nearly spiraling face-first into the floor. At the last second, he caught himself on the door frame and reluctantly had to accept that he had to keep Aerith waiting a few moments more so he could set Cloud down somewhere first.

"Hang tight, Spiky. I'm gonna set you down somewhere comfy you can rest." Zack whispered near Cloud's ear. "I'll come back for you, but right now, I _gotta_ go see Aerith - I told you all about her, remember?"

The blonde let out a breathy version of what Zack could discern as his name.

Zack smiled in relief that Cloud's lucidity was coming back (fucking **FINALLY** ) as he gently maneuvered Cloud over to one of the pews that wasn't completely rotting through. Zack lowered Cloud gently onto the wooden seat and made sure he was lying down comfortably before turning to leave.

"D-Don't…go, Z...ack…" Cloud muttered when he pulled away and Zack's heart lurched upon turning back around only to see Cloud shakily reaching out for him.

Pursing his lips, Zack removed his Buster Sword and the leather straps of its holster, laying both down before kneeling next to Cloud. Automatically, Zack took Cloud's shaky outstretched hand, squeezing it gently between both of his.

"I am _not_ leaving you. I would never do that. I'll be just a few feet away..." Zack swallowed down the sudden lump in his throat upon hearing Aerith's sudden cry and knew he needed to get to her _now_. "…We're safe here and I'll be back, Cloud. I **promise**."

Cloud looked up at him and Zack choked back a sob when he seen _**Cloud**_ looking back at him.

A few seconds later, the blonde's hand went slack; he closed his eyes and Zack knew he would soon be sleeping peacefully (he knew from experience given his many wonderful naps he'd taken in Aerith's church as she tended her garden). Laying down Cloud's hand down beside him, Zack brushed his fingers lightly through Cloud's Chocobo tufts before rising to his feet.

A quick internal pep talk later, Zack turned around to the girl he'd unwillingly left behind for way too damn long.

* * *

As he approached the huge patch of colorful flowers where Aerith knelt, Zack stopped in his tracks when she suddenly put her hands over her mouth. Even muffled behind her palms, it did nothing to silence the most gut-wrenching sobs he ever heard come out of a person. The fact that it was his Aerith (a girl who hardly ever cried) made his own heart feel as if it was being brutally yanked from his chest with a pair of rusty tongs.

Zack would rather endure four more years of Hojo's torture than _ever_ hear Aerith cry like this again…

"...Aerith…" he whispered, surprised his voice didn't crack as he made it to her, standing a few feet in front of her before slowly kneeling to her level. Carefully, ever so carefully, making sure not to hurt her flowers ('Most people are more careful around flowers, you know' '…I guess I'm not most people'), Zack scooted closer.

Instead of responding, she shook her head as her hands finally fell from her face only so she could hug herself around the middle. Her eyes still were locked on his and the utter agony lacing those red-lined watery green orbs and the tears dripping down her anguished face had his whole body _ache_.

Zack wanted _nothing_ more in that moment than to grab her and wrap her in the safety of his arms.

To touch her to make sure she was real. Feel the silken softness of her skin against his heavily calloused palms, cradle her petite frame safely against him, press her tear-streaked face into the hollow of his throat and comfort her like she did for him the night his friend and mentor, Angeal, died.

… _but Zack was afraid._

Yes, him. A First-Class SOLDIER who was trained and naturally feared nothing _,_ laughed into the face of certain death more times than he could count, was absolutely _petrified_ into stasis. Utterly terrified that if he reached his hand out, that Aerith would reel back or push him away.

… _and that would kill him._

If the girlfriend (if she still was considered that at this point) he'd spent the last five years wanting nothing more than to be back in her arms, pushed him away - it would destroy him. Zack was horrified to think that the tears she was currently crying were not from relief from his reappearance but stemming from anger or sadness that he _dared_ come back after leaving her alone and waiting for so fucking long (even if he had no choice in the matter)…

If Aerith rejected him now, Zack truly had no idea what he would do…

Zack imagined her screaming at him to get out, that how _dare_ he come crawling back after leaving her alone for so long (even if he couldn't even recall her even doing so much as raising her voice before). Imagined him sitting in shocked silence but knowing he needed to respect her wishes, he'd nod, grab Cloud, leave back out those doors and never come back if she asked him to. He'd be leaving his tattered, bleeding heart lying at her feet and departing as nothing more than an empty shell but he would… _for her_.

So, he patiently waited as she finally opened her mouth to speak.

Zack mentally and emotionally prepared himself for anger, bitterness, hatred but instead of telling him to leave or some other horrific statement he'd expected, she finally cried out with the most broken voice he'd ever heard in his life.

"I - are…Am… A-Am I… ***sob*** _…Am I d-dreaming…_?"

Zack slowly approached her like one trying not to scare off a skittish animal.

Brilliant emerald eyes were huge with pools of shimmering tears clumped on her thick black eyelashes, cheeks and nose splotchy and red from crying but damn if she still wasn't the most gorgeous woman he'd ever seen even in the state she was in. Her soil-coated hands and dirty fingernails, sweat limp hair (must have been hot today), dirt-covered frumpy yellow apron covered in a tacky flower pattern and…wait…

…was that a pink dress like he'd asked her to wear when he saw her again…?

Coincidence probably…but, wait… was that -

_**…** **The ribbon…** _

Aerith was wearing the same worn pink ribbon he'd bought and tied in her hair during their very first date over 7, or was it 8, years ago by now?

It was still there… _she was still wearing it even after_ _ **all**_ _this time…_

Zack heart lurched and he didn't bother muffling the sudden sob that tore from his throat before finally answering her in a breaking voice, "…If this is a dream, than we _both_ are, Aerith."

Aerith looked him in his eyes; emerald gaze scanning his face for an indeterminate amount of time as she visually traced every inch, every line, every single mark on his face before gazing straight back into his eyes and it was like his entire body and soul was completely bared before her. His skin prickled under her scrutiny - down to the very marrow of his bones - wondering what she was thinking but he didn't have to ponder long.

"...Oh, _**ZACK!**_ " she abruptly cried, reaching out to him with trembling hands and in a split second, he was only inches from her. Still, he didn't touch her; worried she wouldn't react well to his sudden affections, so he waited as she reached out and touched him first.

* * *

Aerith couldn't remember a time when she felt more of a sense of complete despair and utter relief all at once when her fingers finally reached out and touched the fabric covering his chest. Shaking digits and soil-coated skin of her palm experiencing warm cloth with the rock-hard musculature underneath versus the air that she expected.

How this Zack didn't fade into dust but was _right here_ in front of her…

It wasn't like those other times when he'd disappear before reaching out to him…

_Because this Zack didn't vanish…_

Aerith sobbed loudly as she fully pressed the palm of her hand over his sternum, head fell forward slightly as she felt the frantic pounding of his heart and his chest rising and falling with unsteady breaths under her trembling palm. How absolutely _**wonderful**_ it all felt.

All those nightmares - the horrific visions of blood, rapid gunfire, cold rain, a bullet-riddled chest and unpreventable death - of Zack fighting until his body physically couldn't hold him up anymore. Watching in utter horror and helplessness as the love of her life was ruthlessly gunned down and left for dead on blood-drenched cliffs. The dark sky opening up to pour sheets of icy rain over his battered, broken body until his heart stopped, breath ceased and all that beautiful life faded forever from his sky blue eyes…

Almost every night it was the same damn dream that felt way too real. All those endless nights she woke up soaked in sweat and tears, sobbing and screaming his name into her pillow, _begging_ for him to come back. To _please_ , just be alive, Zack… In those endless nights, how she would give anything just to be able to see him again.

And, like a long-awaited answer to a faithful prayer, here he was.

…He _was back._

Zack kept his promise…

"...Y-You're _real_ …" she whimpered, inwardly in the back of her mind knowing she sounded utterly wretched, but she didn't care when after five years, her Zack was back. "You're here…you're really **here** …" she uttered tearfully.

"...Yeah, I'm here…" he said with a sad smile and a trembling lower lip. "I'm sorry I took so long…"

Watching breathlessly when he blinked, her eyes following the few crystalline tears that slid down his tanned, sculpted cheekbones and slipping off his sharp jaw and it was like everything inside her broke straight open.

Aerith pushed aside all those fanciful ideas and detailed plans of what she would do upon seeing him again and just **threw** herself into him.

Not even giving a single thought to the flowers under her knees that were crushed and uprooted in her reckless actions - _nothing_ mattered but Zack.

Clinging tightly to him as close as she could possibly get without outright crawling under his skin, Aerith hugged him. Knuckles and fingers ached as she wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and frantically gripped the fabric of his shirt and buried her face against his neck. The thrum of his pulse against her cheek and his heart wildly hammering against her breast was the absolutely most wondrous feeling in the entire world. She bit her lip and the sharp pinch of pain informed her instantly that she wasn't dreaming - she was awake - _this was real…_

And it was like she came alive again.

Zack was really _here_.

Alive.

Breathing.

Holding her just like she dreamt he would upon his return…

All those lonely miserable seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years faded into oblivion with the sensation of those wonderfully muscled arms returning her embrace. Big, warm calloused hands dragging and tenderly caressing in comforting circles across her back as he curled his body around hers like a protective barrier until she was completely surrounded by him. His incredible warmth, unsurpassed strength, intoxicating smell… _Everything_ was just like she remembered and she **never** wanted to be without it again.

"Oh, _Zack_ …I missed you…" she sobbed into his tear-soaked throat.

* * *

Zack was taken aback when Aerith abruptly flung herself into his unsuspecting arms.

Instinctively, he immediately accepted her into the circle of his embrace. Slight weight, the feminine softness of her petite body, dainty fingers clenching tightly onto his newly-acquired sweater and warm, teary face burrowing into his throat had him letting out a sudden cry that he didn't even bother stifling. Normally steady hands were shaking as he eagerly ran his thickly calloused hands against the fabric of her pink cotton dress, loose braid, stray wisps of auburn silk kissing his knuckles and sinfully smooth skin of her arms and shoulders.

Zack finally wrapped her up and simply _held_ her like he had been dreaming about for five fucking years…

So much pain melting away with her touch and affections even after so long apart. The agony of his previous hellish torture, pain, aches, fatigue of the battle he somehow survived, and all the damn stress he'd been carrying like an herculean burden for the past half-decade melted away as her arms tightened around him like she refused to let him go.

_Zack wouldn't mind if she didn't either…_

"Oh, _Zack_ …I missed you…" she wailed into his neck, nose brushing against his pulse point and he let out a huff of a laugh, a few tears trickling down his face as he nuzzled his cheek against her hair.

He sniffled, swallowed back another sob before replying, "I missed you too, Aerith… **so** much…" Lower lip trembled as he gently brushed his lips against the crown of her head in an imitation of a kiss.

Aerith let out a soft cry at his voice and burrowed her face deeper into his throat, arms tightening around him. In turn, Zack cradled her closer, being so careful to make sure he wasn't hurting her or squeezing to tight. Inhaling deeply and shoulders slumping in abject relief, Zack felt himself relax and muscles completely unwind for the first time in five whole years.

The scent of the garden was a mocking comparison to how Aerith smelt - the earthiness and clean, fertile soil clinging to her clothes and skin, the fruity shampoo she still used wafting from her hair and the distinct smell of lilies that trailed her wherever she went even when she wasn't among her garden.

_…For the first time in so damn long, Zack felt **safe** …_

So much so that time itself felt non-consequential in Aerith's thin arms.

For years, Zack was nothing but a jittery bundle of nerves. Whether it was waiting for Hojo to start their torture of himself or Cloud, debilitating anxiety when Cloud screamed but then stopped, eventually even quit responding to the messages he'd scratched into the glass of their Mako tanks. Or just how utterly and terribly _alone_ he'd felt for so damn long. The escape and running and _running_ and **running** ; the constant anxiety and agony of wanting nothing but to be free and away from under Shin-Ra's thumb.

Body and nerves frayed, constantly expecting an attack, an ambush, always running and hiding and fighting just to survive until the next morning… But as Aerith's hands loosened in his sweater, fingertips and short nails dragging pleasantly over his shoulderblades and spine in comforting circles and mindless shapes, that deep ache he assumed would always be present began to fade away…

"...Zack?" Aerith asked, breaking him from his thoughts (he could have easily fallen asleep for a year like that) as her face finally left the hollow of his throat to look up at him with those gorgeous green eyes he'd missed so damn much.

The ex-SOLDIER reluctantly released his tight embrace to look at her properly, "Hmm? What is it? …Is everything alright?"

"It is now," she said with a teary smile, "…but, I just need to know…" Aerith bit her lip before finally asking, "…Where _were_ you, Zack?"

Zack froze.

His cheek twitched and hands started shaking but he forced them still before she could notice (she probably still did though…she was always way too observant when it came to him).

Old but terribly loud demons began screeching within the confines of his head and he pulled back slightly further from Aerith in fear that she could somehow hear the echoes of them. Sephiroth speaking nonsense in a moldy basement surrounded by dusty books (nothing like the stoic proud man he knew before), a town on fire and all those innocent people dead or dying in the blaze. Being thrown like a ragdoll down metal stairs with the masume wound pierced straight through his side, Cloud falling next to him and he couldn't even reach him before it all went black. Waking up in a sterile lab, Cloud's screams of pure blinding-white agony joined by his own, Hojo's demented laugh or even the roar of the horrendous saw that crudely cut his ribs open to get to his organs…

**No!**

Aerith _couldn't_ know what really happened.

His beautiful flower girl still retained that same innocence even if it was burdened by five years of waiting and difficult slum life - he still saw a brightness in her he _never_ wanted to dim. Would die before ever letting that happen and Zack wouldn't be the one to take that light away from her. It was his burden he refused to share - especially now.

"It's…I…Aerith, I can't, I -" Zack struggled for words, the tremors returned but Aerith's gentle hands returning to caress his shoulder blades had him calm almost instantly and he leaned into her healing touch.

"No, I'm sorry, I-I shouldn't have asked," Aerith looked chastised, more tears gathering as she must have seen the horrific memories that etched themselves on his expressive face. Zack had always been easy for her to read; with her, he was sure to carry his heart on his sleeve and it seems five years did nothing to temper that.

"No, Aer. I will. ...I'll tell you someday…but not _now_ …" Zack shook his head, "Hell, maybe not for a _really_ long time. Maybe never, I just..."

"Zack, you don't have to, I'm sorry, I -" Aerith sobbed and Zack gingerly brushed his hand against her cheek as an interruption; she trembled and leaned into his palm.

"...I will when I'm ready - okay?" he decided on.

Aerith bit her bottom lip as it trembled between her teeth and she gazed knowingly into his eyes before finally nodding, "…whenever you're ready..."

The slight break in the intimate moment before was quickly recovered when Aerith leaned forward to rest her head back on his chest. "I'm sorry. It really doesn't matter now...I'm just _so_ happy that you're back...that you're here with me," she admitted against his sternum, hands caressing his back mindlessly.

Zack was relieved when she dropped the subject; uttering a simple, "Yeah. Me too…" against the top of her head. Forcing his heart to calm and remember that he and Cloud were safe now, Zack wrapped his arms loosely over her thin shoulders as his eyes slid closed.

* * *

The quiet that followed was a bit awkward but still unbelievably comforting.

Only sounds to be heard was their combined breathing, heartbeats and the peace that always seemed to fill the church. There were so many things Zack wanted to say, wanted to ask about such as what _she'd_ been through these past five years, but as Aerith previously stated, that didn't matter right now. So Zack enjoyed simply being together again. Having her in his arms and kneeling with her in her garden was enough for now - _would **always** be enough for him._

The ex-SOLDIER melted into her but his eyes slid open when Aerith began leisurely running her hands ever so delicately over him.

The sensations of her fingertips making his nerves tingle in the most amazing ways. His beautiful flower girl mapping him with her touch and Zack was more than happy if she decided never to stop. Dainty fingers pressing only around the broad expanse of his back at first but steadily began wandering elsewhere. Her forehead against his sternum, Aerith marginally pulled away from him only so she could continue her exploration; gingerly brushing against his ribs and abdomen before lingering on his chest. Aerith fully lifted her head from his chest (Zack flashed a lazy smirk seeing just how flushed her cheeks had become) and stared at her hands as they skimmed up his pectorals, followed the line of his collarbone and shoulders before resting against the sides of his neck.

_Fuck, he missed her touch…_

Zack remained frozen and stared at her face as she moved higher. Eyes timidly locked onto his when her fingers slipped into his hair and Zack couldn't help but wince at the tangled knots she found there. In his defense, he hadn't had a decent comb since that one he'd found in a backwater town hotel during his escape with Cloud; he'd lost it somewhere along the way and the time when his hair was of utmost importance had long since passed.

Yet, for the first time in his life, Zack felt self-conscious about his looks.

He'd always been (reluctant to admit) a bit cocky and overconfident about his physical appearance but now, he felt so naked and bare with Aerith - wanting her to look at him and see someone still worth her while. All those doubts vanished when she finally was able to comb his hair out with her thin fingers before tenderly cupping his jaw within her cool palms and gifted him with the most beautiful smile he'd ever seen.

* * *

Desperately wanting the tense moment between them to fade and regain the beautifully intimate moments from earlier, Aerith pressed her head to his chest.

Focused on the steady beat of his heart, she swallowed down the tears, guilt and pain that still lingered as she recalled _that_ _look_ plastered on Zack's face. How her bringing up what he'd been through these past five years and mindlessly asking his whereabouts gave him such an utter sense of agony and despair that lined every inch of his face…

 _She did that_ \- caused this beautiful, wonderful man even _more_ pain, reliving something she knew he'd probably rather forget. That acknowledgement filled Aerith's stomach with stones.

Closing her eyes against that thought, Aerith's hands wandered over him. As silence reigned other than her stifled breaths and his heartbeat drumming steadily against her cheek, her hands moved more certainly. His relaxed muscles under her fingers was enough of an indication that the tense moment faded for now even if she would beat herself up over it later. Pushing that aside for now, Aerith silently began remembering every inch of his body strictly through contact, recalling the raised scars she felt underneath the sweater he now wore and feeling and seeing new ones marring his skin.

As much as she wanted to ask how they were acquired and kiss each one after he told her each story (like she used to so many years ago), she bit her tongue and moved on. Refusing to bring up the past anymore tonight - perhaps for a long time - or ever.

The past didn't matter - only the present - and she wouldn't let her guilt taint this moment any longer.

Aerith pressed her forehead against the center of his chest and she felt his pectoral muscles grow taut at her action and the sensation of them against her face had a dark blush staining her cheeks as she pulled away from him slightly. Aerith refused to look at his face, worried she'd still see pain, or even worse, that cocksure smirk he'd get when he _knew_ he was getting her flustered without even trying.

Swallowing back her trepidation, Aerith braved a look at his expression and her shoulders slouched at the gentle smile curving his lips instead. Braver hands roamed up his chest and she'd be lying if she didn't enjoy the incredible strength and sinewy muscles and rock-hard musculature under her palms. Broad shoulders and heated skin - so intimate it all felt now after so long apart - like it was some of their first physical interactions all over again.

Further up, she cupped his neck, excited to finally be able to thread her fingers through his ridiculously spiky yet incredibly silken hair. Yet she faltered upon feeling him tense when her fingers stumbled upon some tangled knots in his normally smooth hair; her lips thinned. While it was obvious Zack had been through so much these past five years, it was harder seeing the obvious physical ramifications.

Yet she _refused_ to pry any further.

Aerith knew he would tell her when he was ready and would probably be content if he never did either.

Zack was right here _now_ and having him back was enough - _would_ _ **always**_ _be enough._

Her raven-haired SOLDIER slowly relaxed under her ministrations once all the knots were combed through with her sure fingers. Zack scooted slightly closer to her, hair now easily skimming through the gaps in her fingers and the ticklish sensation had her breathing out a contented sigh. Absolutely _reveling_ in his intoxicating closeness. She'd missed him **so** much; missed absolutely everything about him - seeing him, hearing him, touching him. It was all so therapeutic after all the agony that laid in her heart for these past five damned years.

Having Zack back in her arms meant _everything_.

Zack's cloudless sky blue eyes boring into her own, Aerith cupped his incredibly handsome face in her palms. Smiling brightly at him while the thumb of her right hand brushed over that familiar cross shaped scar etched on his jaw and traced its shape. Aerith took a moment to languidly study his face. For years, she was so fearful that she'd never get to see him again. That the only way she could see his face was through fading memories and the precious few photos she'd acquired that would never do him justice.

It hit her now just how little he changed physically (he still looked exactly as she remembered other than the new scars and clothes), but yet so drastically in others.

Gone was the boisterous teenager with the innocent, youthful exuberance, cocky smirk that seemed to be permanently etched onto his lips and in his confident swagger. There was a maturity to him that was even more drastic than after his mentor's death; it was so much more bone-deep and personal. Whatever happened to Zack these past five years was beyond anything she could have even wanted to know or comprehend to make her playfully-coined, Zack the Puppy, into this haunted man before her now.

Lines and scars on his face that hadn't been there before, heavy shadows under his still piercingly bright blue eyes that held more agony than a person should ever have to experience. A tiredness yet the hints of one ready to jolt at the sightless inclination of danger in his posture that spoke volumes for the man who had always had excess energy and was always moving but still retained such a laid-back attitude. So much had changed...

… _Yet, even considering all of it, this was still_ _ **her**_ _Zack…_

Tears filled her eyes than slipped steadily down her cheeks as she took him in. _Her Zack_. Retaining that incredible gentleness when touching her, confident yet so sweet smile, soft tone of voice, sinfully handsome face surrounded by midnight black hair and of course, those magnificent eyes. Ones she could drown in and stay blithely adrift for the rest of her life.

Aerith's gaze finally fell and froze on his smiling mouth - gorgeous plush pink-rose tinted lips beckoning her like a moth to a flame and she wouldn't deny her wants anymore or _ever_ again. Aerith had never been very forward in their relationship (Zack was usually the far more affectionate one) but she was going to change that now… Hands gently grasping his face, she leaned forward and pushed herself up on her knees to close the distance between their mouths.

With heart hammering wildly in her chest, Aerith kissed Zack in the very spot they first met.

And… _wow_ , it was nothing like all their previous kisses or even their most intimate moments they shared all those years ago.

It was everything.

_It was like finally coming home…_

__

* * *

While initially surprised at Aerith's brazenness (he could easily get used to this new forward side of her), Zack quickly melted against her lips.

Zack smiled against her petal-soft mouth, loving the sensation of her trembling fingers cradling his jaw while his hands rested against the soft cotton of her dress and the other tenderly cradling the back of her head. Zack broke their lip-lock for barely a blink, tilted their heads ever so slightly before he kissed her again. Slotting his mouth properly over hers to deepen the kiss and he shivered at just how _perfect_ it all felt.

Aerith lips trembled against how own and she let out the softest moan as her fingers found anchorage by gentle grasping handfuls of his raven hair. Instead of the cocky smirk and the boost to his male pride he would have received all those years ago for being the cause of a girl making those sounds, his heart fluttered instead.

The overwhelming, pure love he had for this girl hadn't waned from their five year absence and if this incredible moment said anything, it only grew to a place where Zack knew he could never live without it - without **her**. Something so tender, priceless, wonderful and precious, someone a murderer like him _never_ deserved - but she stayed anyway. Aerith waited for him for five years, never knowing for certain if he would return or was even alive - but she still waited; faithfully wearing the ribbon he bought her like a physical reminder of his promise to her…

The very notion she still believed that he would return after all this time shook him to his very core…

Zack pressed his mouth deeper, tenderly against hers; their noses brushing as he tilted his head and kissed her harder. Aerith leaned into his touch and affections as their mouths desperately caressed, parting and melding over and over until the world faded to only each other. Their combined breathing becoming heavy and deep, they kissed to make up for all the lost time; so many emotions and feelings of five lost years echoing and being expressed with the press of lips, pounding heartbeats and the tender touch of hands.

As all good things though, it eventually slowed to the barest brushing of lips before reluctantly, Zack broke their kiss with a soft pop.

Breasts heaving with shortness of breath, Aerith's eyes remained closed for a moment and in that time, Zack tenderly cradled her gorgeous heart-shaped face between his palms. Ever so gently, he wiped away the tears that still stained her cheeks with the calloused curves of his thumbs. Emerald eyes slipped open and gazed with him with so much undisguised love and affection, it nearly took his breath away.

There was _so_ much to say, so much to discuss, but for now, it could wait…

"As much as I want to stay here hugging and kissing you all night," he gave her a familiar smirk and vastly enjoyed feeling how her cheeks flushed and heated under his palms, "I kinda want you to meet someone, if you're up for it."

Aerith's eyes widened as she stole a glance at where Cloud still lay before she nodded, "Of course."

Zack smiled, running his hands down her neck, across her shoulders (he lived for how she shuddered at his touch) and gingerly down her arms until their hands were clasped palm to palm (he simply adored just how small her hands were in his). Ever so gently, Zack stood and pulled her to unsteady feet.

The ex-SOLDIER let out a warm chuckle when her legs buckled and she fell against his chest (completely accidental, she swears). Their hands breaking apart momentarily as she wraps her arms around his waist and rests her head on his chest. His gorgeous flower girl giggles than smiles up at him, nuzzling her cheek tenderly against his sternum before tenderly kissing above where his heart still wildly pounds.

Zack is filled with such a deep sense of rightness, belonging, of being where he needs and wants to be - it's overwhelming - and he leans down and kisses her lips one more time; quietly, profusely thanking whatever deity decided to let him live as he pulls away. Zack doesn't even want to fathom not being able to experience this kind of love and affection again… In his heart of hearts, he knows he doesn't deserve her or deserve this happiness, but yet she waited for him and amazingly, still wants him.

There's three certain words he'd said to her what felt like a lifetime ago; words they would say casually to each other frequently back then but held such a different meaning now. The lack of her presence in his life and all the hell he'd been dealt didn't seem to matter in this moment. Zack was desperate to say them to her right now but he wanted to wait - to savor this time with her - and knew there would be so many more moments later…

Zack would fucking make sure of it - for _nothing,_ not even the end of the world _-_ was taking him away from Aerith again…

Aerith stepping back breaks him from his reverie and she grins up at him brightly; he's vastly relieved there are no longer tears lingering in her brilliant eyes.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go meet him." Aerith exclaims as she reaches and unhurriedly runs her fingertips along his forearms before clasping his hands with her own.

Zack is a bit distracted by all her touching (she definitely wasn't as touchy feely before but Zack would never complain about that) but he nods eagerly. Gently clutching her hand in his as they walk toward where the blonde is still lying where Zack left him.

He's surprised to find Cloud actually awake and looking quite lucid.

"Hey buddy, you have a good nap?" Zack greets his friend happily and sends a smile Aerith's way before reluctantly releasing her hand before kneeling next to Cloud. It takes a moment, but he's able to help the blonde get into a semi-seated position without tipping over. "Hey Cloud, now that you're situated, there's someone special I want you to meet, okay?"

Cloud glances at Zack when he speaks and that's better than the raven-haired ex-SOLDIER expected.

"Alright. Good." Standing up, Zack turned back to Aerith and flung an arm out toward Cloud, "Aerith, this is my best friend in the entire world and the absolute _best_ honorary little brother a guy could ever ask for - Aerith, meet Cloud." Zack presented his non-moving friend with his typical flourish.

Zack turned back toward Cloud, "And Cloud, this is my girl, Aerith. The most wonderful, patient, beautiful and forgiving girlfriend in the Planet's history," he flashed Aerith a wink and charming smile; vastly enjoying the flush on her cheeks before leaning toward her to swiftly kiss her cheek, "I told you _all_ about her, remember, buddy?" he asked when turning his attention back to the blonde.

Cloud kept staring at Zack but minutely, he turned his head, looked than blinked at Aerith.

"Hello Cloud." Aerith said, kneeling to be better eye-level with the blonde man, "It's so nice to finally be able to meet you. I remember when Zack used to talk about you sometimes. Not by name, just someone he knew and called them 'Spiky Chocobo Head' so I'm assuming that's you," Aerith couldn't help but giggle at the long (and rather un-amused) blink Cloud gave her and Zack's grimace when remembering the old name he'd called him once upon a time.

"...Z-Zack…" Cloud muttered, his half lucid eyes clearing more by the second as turned his gaze toward him.

Zack knelt next to Aerith, placing a hand on Cloud's shoulder to look him straight in the eyes, "Yes. I'm right here, Cloud. I'm not going anywhere. We're friends… _brothers_ and I'm always gonna be there for you."

Zack felt his throat tighten when he witnessed the slightest twitching near Cloud's mouth and knew that was the closest he'd seen the blonde smile in _way_ too damn long. Somewhere in there, Cloud was still fighting to regain control - he was healing and Zack would make sure to do everything in his power to make sure Cloud got better.

"...You're going to be okay, Cloud." Aerith broke in gently with a sweet smile, placing a flower she surreptitiously picked - a beautiful perfect golden lily that matched Cloud's hair - and slipped it into the breast pocket of his shirt.

Cloud slowly glanced down at the flower in what looked to be awe and Zack didn't even bother wiping the few tears that slipped down his cheeks at the sight.

Aerith glanced over at Zack; who felt her eyes on his face and turned to look back at her. Those brilliant eyes she loved were filled with nothing but relief and happiness and she knew hers were much the same. They were together now and _nothing_ would tear them apart again.

"Yeah. You're gonna be okay…" Zack professed, laying a warm hand over Aerith's and Cloud's both and squeezed tightly. "…We _**all**_ are…"

And this time, it would be…

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The End!
> 
> I don't want to get into FF7 in this universe so just pretend all the bad guys spontaneously combusted so no meteor, no Aerith sacrifice, and the planet is back to normal. Cloud recovers fully over time, him and Zack become mercenaries and make tons of money. Of course, Zack and Aerith get married and have a bunch of beautiful babies and Cloud is the best damn uncle of all time because they all deserve the happiest of endings. That's my headcanon ending for this universe anyway til FF7R Part 2 proves me otherwise. XD
> 
> Thanks for reading! Hope y'all enjoyed!


End file.
